No negativity - what does Harris need to do to sort things out?

Please don't answer resign, either. What's going wrong in the here and now and what can be corrected to hopefully improve things now.

Sign a bloody right back
Get runners beyond the striker
Don’t play Ralls at 10
Sign a quick winger
Keep it tight for the first 10 mins of games so we stop giving away sloppy goals minutes after kick off
In all seriousness though, resign. He’s lost the dressing room and he has to go

Needed:: A right Back, Centre Midfielder who is comfortable on the ball, can pass and create chances for those up front, 2 wingers with pace who can cross the ball. And coach the other players how to play the game. A small task really.

For what it's worth, I thought Pack did well today. When you have an immobile front line lacking any sort of movement, what can he do other than keep things safe?

Imagine Pack with Bothroyd and Chopra? He'd have a field day.

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Originally Posted by Eric the Half a Bee

For what it's worth, I thought Pack did well today. When you have an immobile front line lacking any sort of movement, what can he do other than keep things safe?

Imagine Pack with Bothroyd and Chopra? He'd have a field day.

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We had Steve McPhail, who was a really good Marlon Pack

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Originally Posted by Pedro de la Rosa

We had Steve McPhail, who was a really good Marlon Pack

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He was often criticised for not being adventurous, doing his 2 pirouettes before passing it square etc. Sometimes we don't realise how good a player is until he's gone.

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Originally Posted by Eric the Half a Bee

He was often criticised for not being adventurous, doing his 2 pirouettes before passing it square etc. Sometimes we don't realise how good a player is until he's gone.

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Or sometimes we look back with rose tinted specs.

Anyway we have no money Harris needs to start clearing out the players nowhere near good enough and those we can afford to release.

Tan will see a significant loss on recent signings though.

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Originally Posted by Eric the Half a Bee

He was often criticised for not being adventurous, doing his 2 pirouettes before passing it square etc. Sometimes we don't realise how good a player is until he's gone.

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Early on, yes. I don't think anyone doubted McPhail by the end of his time here.

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Originally Posted by Pedro de la Rosa

Early on, yes. I don't think anyone doubted McPhail by the end of his time here.

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Absolutely. Never worked for him with Malky, which was a shame.

Sign about 10 new players.

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Originally Posted by LeningradCowboy

Sign about 10 new players.

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You think the players we have are playing at their absolute best of ability and the manager is getting the best out of them?

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Originally Posted by LeningradCowboy

Sign about 10 new players.

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Ideally squad wise thats not far off.

Its almost a complete rebuild Malky style.

Malky didnt have the issue of contracted players out of their depth.

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Originally Posted by Eric the Half a Bee

You think the players we have are playing at their absolute best of ability and the manager is getting the best out of them?

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I don't but the squad needs major surgery.

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Originally Posted by Pedro de la Rosa

I don't but the squad needs major surgery.

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Agreed. A squad that finishes 5th doesn't become relegation material overnight, especially after a decent summer transfer window. I don't buy into the argument that we have shit players, though if we're changing direction, some don't fit any more so we need major changes.

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Originally Posted by Eric the Half a Bee

You think the players we have are playing at their absolute best of ability and the manager is getting the best out of them?

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No, but professional footballers rarely play at the absolute best of their ability. It's their average level of performance over many games that matters and most of our players have been consistently poor all season. Bad performances have become the norm and good performances are the outliers. Too many of our players have clear shortcomings that won't be improved by changing the manager.

Learn how to coach players. Our football is appalling, I have backed him long enough but I'm so tired of this shit football we've served up for years and Harris isn't the guy to change it. He tried to change, it didn't work (either our players aren't very good or he's a bad coach,) now we're back to this long ball stuff and it's not working again. There aren't patterns in our football, players look clueless and lacking in confidence when it comes to progressing the ball, that's on Harris.

How anyone can go through the trouble of obtaining their badges and think Joe Ralls can play as a no.10 is baffling. I am also convinced if you put Harry Wilson in Brentford or Swansea's team he'd be flying, Harris doesn't know how to get the best out of him

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Originally Posted by LeningradCowboy

No, but professional footballers rarely play at the absolute best of their ability. It's their average level of performance over many games that matters and most of our players have been consistently poor all season.

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Why is this?

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Originally Posted by Eric the Half a Bee

Agreed. A squad that finishes 5th doesn't become relegation material overnight, especially after a decent summer transfer window. I don't buy into the argument that we have shit players, though if we're changing direction, some don't fit any more so we need major changes.

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We have a few good players, a lot of mediocre ones, and a few shit ones. We're missing most of our good players at the moment due to injury and their replacements haven't stepped up.

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Originally Posted by Eric the Half a Bee

Agreed. A squad that finishes 5th doesn't become relegation material overnight, especially after a decent summer transfer window. I don't buy into the argument that we have shit players, though if we're changing direction, some don't fit any more so we need major changes.

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Harris was doing a terrific job. He now is doing a terrible job.

He's gone tomorrow.

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Originally Posted by LeningradCowboy

We have a few good players, a lot of mediocre ones, and a few shit ones. We're missing most of our good players at the moment due to injury and their replacements haven't stepped up.

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I think thats fair. I think Ralls and Nelson are also good players not having the best of seasons. Add in injuries to good players and its no wonder we are in trouble.

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Originally Posted by 2b2bdoo

He's gone tomorrow.

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I wouldnt believe threads elsewhere.

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Originally Posted by Eric the Half a Bee

Why is this?

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Because they aren't very good. We've conceded so many goals this season like the one Forest scored yesterday. Do you blame the manager for that or do you have to conclude that the players just aren't up to scratch?

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Originally Posted by 2b2bdoo

He's gone tomorrow.

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I didn't realise that Vincent cared so much about the FA Cup.

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Originally Posted by LeningradCowboy

Because they aren't very good. We've conceded so many goals this season like the one Forest scored yesterday. Do you blame the manager for that or do you have to conclude that the players just aren't up to scratch?

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So why have they gone from playoff contenders to relegation contenders in 6 months?

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Originally Posted by LeningradCowboy

Because they aren't very good. We've conceded so many goals this season like the one Forest scored yesterday. Do you blame the manager for that or do you have to conclude that the players just aren't up to scratch?

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If managers are never to blame, why have them?

Not say things like this: “Norwich and Brentford beat us, Wycombe, we gave poor goals away, [Filip] Benkovic cost us two goals in that game. Conceding two goals in a game we shouldn’t lose.

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Originally Posted by Hilts

Or sometimes we look back with rose tinted specs.

Anyway we have no money Harris needs to start clearing out the players nowhere near good enough and those we can afford to release.

Tan will see a significant loss on recent signings though.

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It takes a lot of bravery to keep on wanting to have the ball and be constructive with it when your team is struggling and Steve McPhail never ever hid when the going got tough. Contrast him to the way so many of our players are desperate to get rid of the ball these days. I agree with Eric about Marlon Pack who gets more stick than he deserves in my opinion - he's not a McPhail and he is slow in possession too often, but, although accepting it's a very low bar, he is the best passer out of our central midfielders, but, apparently, our manager thinks he's not worth a starting place against teams who are going to have more of the ball than us and, let's face it, that's virtually everyone isn't it..

Do what Stoke did: make sure you don't concede over a number of games, try to bring in a few new players and wait for key players to return from injury. Manager might not be getting enough out of the players but the combinations being relied on currently have big weaknesses.

Do we have funds for new players? Our first offer has been openly criticised so there are doubts about that.

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Originally Posted by the other bob wilson

It takes a lot of bravery to keep on wanting to have the ball and be constructive with it when your team is struggling and Steve McPhail never ever hid when the going got tough. Contrast him to the way so many of our players are desperate to get rid of the ball these days. I agree with Eric about Marlon Pack who gets more stick than he deserves in my opinion - he's not a McPhail and he is slow in possession too often, but, although accepting it's a very low bar, he is the best passer out of our central midfielders, but, apparently, our manager thinks he's not worth a starting place against teams who are going to have more of the ball than us and, let's face it, that's virtually everyone isn't it..

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Don't forget that Pack was brought back into the team at the start of this year. Pack is like Tomlin was a couple of years ago: very effective for about 60 minutes (as a generous upper limit) but pace of the game means he's dead weight after that.

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Originally Posted by Eric the Half a Bee

If managers are never to blame, why have them?

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What is the purpose of this question? It seems clear, and mostly fair, the points that are being made.

What’s the team missing?
Accurate passing, ball retention, confidence, pace, incisiveness, decision making .... the majority of these are mental not physical attributes, determined by tactics & strategy.

For the last few years, I’ve watched a Southern League side with a young manager straight out of of his badges course at the FAW. I was very pleasantly surprised at the level of coaching, the blueprint, responsiveness of the players and above all the coaching for specific situations. The change in the style of the play & whole philosophy of the club changed dramatically for the better within a season. It can be done.

If and it's a big if, that Harris can keep he's job after yet another defeat he has to make some bold decisions about the coaching staff that he's brought in to the club, because clearly whatever they are doing isn't working.

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Originally Posted by the other bob wilson

It takes a lot of bravery to keep on wanting to have the ball and be constructive with it when your team is struggling and Steve McPhail never ever hid when the going got tough. Contrast him to the way so many of our players are desperate to get rid of the ball these days. I agree with Eric about Marlon Pack who gets more stick than he deserves in my opinion - he's not a McPhail and he is slow in possession too often, but, although accepting it's a very low bar, he is the best passer out of our central midfielders, but, apparently, our manager thinks he's not worth a starting place against teams who are going to have more of the ball than us and, let's face it, that's virtually everyone isn't it..

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I have been one of Pack’s fiercest critics but I think that most people can see that he is technically our most accomplished player (maybe after Tomlin, if we ever see him again) and is easily the most comfortable in possession. He is also one of the few players that we have who plays with his head up, hence the pass that everyone was getting so excited about recently.

However in the Championship those characteristics alone don’t make a good footballer unless he is so good (and Pack isn’t) that the whole team is built around them or
to accommodate their shortcomings.

Pack is OK as a CDM we don’t need one. Maybe Pack of 5 years ago had the dynamism that we need? I haven’t followed his career that carefully. Can he be coached to be more progressive and pacey, and fill a different midfield role? I very much doubt it by Harris.

We almost need a Frankenstein version of Ralls and Pack. A Rack or a Palls..... :-/

Backing from the board in this transfer window. We shouldn’t have been left in a position where Mark Harris is our 3rd striking option or where Bacuna has to fill in at right back because our only right back has a long term injury.

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Originally Posted by J R Hartley

Backing from the board in this transfer window. We shouldn’t have been left in a position where Mark Harris is our 3rd striking option or where Bacuna has to fill in at right back because our only right back has a long term injury.

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I think that you have to very seriously question whether this will happen after the performances since the last window and his recent comments.

Wouldn’t their argument be: we backed you in the last window, so why didn’t you sort it out then or use academy players (as he is in fairness) if you are concerned about that level of depth?

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Originally Posted by Eric the Half a Bee

So why have they gone from playoff contenders to relegation contenders in 6 months?

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We won't be relegation contenders unless Kieffer Moore and Sean Morrison miss the rest of the season. We wouldn't have made the play-offs last season without Lee Tomlin. It's pretty much that simple - we're hugely reliant on a few players.

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Originally Posted by Eric the Half a Bee

If managers are never to blame, why have them?

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Neil Warnock is very much to blame.

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Originally Posted by J R Hartley

Backing from the board in this transfer window. We shouldn’t have been left in a position where Mark Harris is our 3rd striking option or where Bacuna has to fill in at right back because our only right back has a long term injury.

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Bacuna has plenty of experience at right back as he played there in the Premier League with Villa and Reading and has occasionally played well there but like when playing in mid field is not consistent, another super buy by Warnock! I think Harris thought 3 strikers would be enough as he was only going to play one up front but it didn’t work so he went to 442?

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Originally Posted by Bobby Dandruff

I have been one of Pack’s fiercest critics but I think that most people can see that he is technically our most accomplished player (maybe after Tomlin, if we ever see him again) and is easily the most comfortable in possession. He is also one of the few players that we have who plays with his head up, hence the pass that everyone was getting so excited about recently.

However in the Championship those characteristics alone don’t make a good footballer unless he is so good (and Pack isn’t) that the whole team is built around them or
to accommodate their shortcomings.

Pack is OK as a CDM we don’t need one. Maybe Pack of 5 years ago had the dynamism that we need? I haven’t followed his career that carefully. Can he be coached to be more progressive and pacey, and fill a different midfield role? I very much doubt it by Harris.

We almost need a Frankenstein version of Ralls and Pack. A Rack or a Palls..... :-/

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Are you seriously asking if a player who turns 30 in March can be coached to run faster?